Pneumatic tire.



PATENTED APR 2, 1907.

L- N. GATES. PNEUMATIC TIRE. APPLICATION FILED MAB.28,1906.

i VVVV 11 V VENT 0R. Lam/111 N 622125 ATTORNEY.

LORWIN N. GATES, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

PNEUMATIC TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apri1 2, 1907.

Application filed March 28, 1906. Serial No. 308,590-

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LORWIN N. GATES, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented cer- 5 tain newand useful Improvements in Pneumatic Tires, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

1o Myinvention has relation to improvements in pneumatic tires; and itconsists in the novel construction of tire more fully set forth j in thespecification and pointed out in the claim. 7 In the drawings, Figure lis an elevation of a vehicle-wheel, showing my invention applied theretowith walls partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2 2of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the intermediate metalpuncture-proof band, and Fig. 4 is a perspective detail showing theoverlapping ends of the strips comprising the metal band. The presentinvention is an improvement on the construction of tire forming the sub5 ject-matter of my pending application, Serial No.'303,838, filed March2, 1906, and while contem lating the several objects therein referre tothe present device is qualifiedso as to'present a simpler construction 3and at the same time afford means for more effectively retaining inposition the metal puncture-proof section, the latter being in thepresent instance made, so as to adjust itself to the variable expansionof the pneuifia-tic portion. In detail the invention may be described asfollows:

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the rim of an ordinary wheelequipped with a pneumatic tire, the latter being composed of the usualinner'inflatable' tube or section 2 and of the outer layer or sectionInterposed between the aforesaid sections is a metallic layer of thinsteel, said intermediate layer com rising anumber of metal strips 414,overlapping along their longitudinal 'edges and loosely riveted atpredetermined points, the heads of the rivets 5 being exi panded andflattened to reduce the projections as much as possible, and therebysecure 5 a smooth surface for the metal layer. This metal layer is ofcourse puncture-proof and is preferabl incased in a sheath of canvasand, rubber, t e sheath being made of two layers of material cementedtogether, the outer wall portions or edges, t

or layer 6 being extended beyond the lines of juncture with the innerlayer 6 a sufiieient distance to well envelop the inner tube 2, theedges of the envelopin folds being drawn toward each other by the outersection 3 in the assembling of the parts.

In order to permit the metal layer to conform and readily yield to thevariable expansion of the pneumatic portions of the tire under thetension exerted by the air confined within the inner tube, the ends ofthe several strips are rovi'ded with elongated slots 7, which arelbosely engaged by rivets or studs 8. The length of the slots 7 issufficient of course to allow for the maximum degree of expansion towhich the tire is subjected, the "o studs 8 freely laying in the slotswith any movement of t e tire.

The manner of assembling and uniting the several strips as describedaffects, in a measure, a sort of hinged connection between 7 5 them,perm tting the several strips as a unit to be bent into a circular" bandadapted to' envelop the inner inflatable section 2 of the tire. Eachstrip has a curved cross-section, imparting to the composite bandformed, by 8.0 them collectively a cross-sectional curvaturesubstantially conforming to the curvature of that portion of the section2 encompassed by it. T he several strips, coupled tog :ther as they are,assume a circularformwithout bindin'g, conforming collectively to thegeneral convexity of the inner section 2.v

Having described my invention, what I claim is A pneumatic tirecomprising an inner infiatable tube or section, an outer layer orsection therefor, an intermediate band composed of a series of overlaping strips, a series of headed rivets yielding y and mechanicallyconnecting the strips along. their overlapping e. several stripsterminating. at one end in elongated slots, and having studs at theopposite end for loosely engaging said slots, the band encompassing theouter portion of the periphery of the inner I tube, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LORWIN N. GATES.

Witnesses: I

EMIL STAREK, MARY D. WHITCOMB.

